From Father Steven - January 26, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • January 24, 2025

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Please see the information below about the Jubilee Year 2025 which officially opened on December 24, 2024, with the rite of Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter by the Holy Father, who then presided over the celebration of the Night Mass of the Lord's Birth inside the Basilica. The year will end in Rome on January 6, 2026. Archbishop Richard Henning officially opened the Jubilee Year in Boston on December 29, 2024 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The year in Boston will end on December 28, 2025. Our parish has been selected as a place of Pilgrimage for this Jubilee Year! We have a lot of exciting things planned so please stay tuned.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

What Is the Jubilee Year and How Can We Embrace Its Graces? Every so often, the Catholic Church invites us to celebrate a special period of grace and renewal called a Jubilee Year. This tradition, deeply rooted in Scripture, is a time of spiritual growth, mercy, and renewal, offering us a chance to draw closer to God and one another. But what exactly is a Jubilee Year, and how can we participate in its blessings?

 

The idea of a Jubilee comes from the Old Testament. In the Book of Leviticus (25:8-13), God instructed the Israelites to observe a Jubilee every 50 years. During this time, debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and land was restored to its original owners. It was a time of liberation, justice, and renewal—a way for God’s people to start fresh, trusting in His providence. The Church has adopted this concept in her own way. The first Christian Jubilee was proclaimed in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, and since then, the Church has periodically declared Jubilee Years, sometimes every 25 years or for special occasions. The most recent Jubilee was in 2015-2016, called the Jubilee of Mercy by Pope Francis.

 

A Jubilee Year is meant to help us experience God’s boundless mercy and love. It often includes:

 

• Opportunities for reconciliation: Special emphasis is placed on the Sacrament of Confession, where we can encounter God’s forgiveness in a profound way.

• Holy Doors: During a Jubilee, certain churches (often cathedrals or basilicas) have Holy Doors that are opened for the faithful. Walking through these doors is a symbolic act of leaving sin behind and entering into a new life of grace. (This year the Pope designated Holy Doors only in Rome. However the bishops have chosen parishes and shrines to be places of pilgrimage where pilgrims can receive the same blessings/indulgences).

• Indulgences: The Church offers indulgences during a Jubilee Year, which are special graces that remove the temporal punishment due to sin. These graces can also be offered for loved ones who have passed away.

 

The Jubilee Year isn’t just a historical or theological concept—it’s a real opportunity for each of us to encounter God in a deeper way. Here are a few ways we can take advantage of the graces offered during a Jubilee Year:

 

1. Seek Reconciliation: Make time to go to Confession. This sacrament is one of the greatest gifts of the Church, allowing us to start fresh with a clean heart and renewed spirit.

2. Visit a Pilgrimage Site: If a church in our area has a designated a Pilgrimage site (like ours and others), go there on a pilgrimage. Reflect on this as an act of spiritual renewal and commitment to living in God’s grace.

3. Deepen Your Prayer Life: A Jubilee is a time to reconnect with God through prayer. Whether it’s attending daily Mass, praying the rosary, or spending time in Eucharistic Adoration, these practices help us grow in holiness.

4. Perform Works of Mercy: Use this time to care for others, especially those in need. This can include visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, or simply offering kindness to those around you.

5. Offer Indulgences for Loved Ones: Pray for the souls in purgatory and offer indulgences for them. This act of charity connects us with the communion of saints and reminds us of our shared journey to heaven.

 

A Jubilee Year is an open invitation from God to experience His mercy in a deeper way. It’s like a spiritual reset button, a chance to leave behind the burdens of sin, forgive others, and live in greater harmony with God’s will. As we embrace the Jubilee, let us remember the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). May this special time be one of renewal for our parish, our families, and our own hearts. Let’s take full advantage of this holy time and draw closer to the One who loves us more than we can imagine.

 

 

From Father Steven - April 20, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • April 17, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!! I pray that during these next 50 days of the Easter season, you may truly experience the resurrection of Christ in your life. The resurrection is not something magical, as though Christ waves a wand and suddenly we are converted. Lent is our preparation, a spiritual journey that leads us to the moment of Jesus passing through our lives at Easter. According to the Gospels, on Easter morning only Mary Magdalene encounters the Risen Christ. No one else does at first. Over the coming weeks, we will hear different Gospel accounts of others meeting the Risen Lord in a variety of places and situations—reminding us that Christ reveals Himself in many ways, often when we least expect it. We live in a world that doesn’t like to wait. We’ve grown accustomed to instant everything. It’s funny to think how different things were not so long ago—waiting through commercials on TV, or sending letters by mail that took days or weeks to arrive. Today, we can get deliveries within hours and watch any show, anywhere, anytime. Yet, when we read Scripture, we discover that God often calls His people to wait. Abraham waited most of his life for God to fulfill His promises. Then he waited again to hear His voice. The Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert. Clearly, God is in no rush. He could have created the world in an instant, yet He chose to take seven days. After our Lenten preparation, now we enter the season of hope and anticipation—waiting for the Lord to appear. We don’t know when or how, but we trust that He will come. Let us not be like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who walked and spoke with Jesus without recognizing Him. Each year, Christ seeks to free us from the lies and chains of the enemy. We are often tempted to believe that we are not good enough, that we cannot forgive ourselves for past mistakes, or that a certain person will always remain a painful burden in our lives. The suffering we see around us can deepen that grief. The disciples, too, experienced this kind of “death” of the soul—sadness, confusion, even despair. But in the midst of this brokenness, Christ appears. He comes to reveal that those things no longer have power over us. He breaks the chains of darkness. A better image might be this: Christ has flung open the doors of our prison cell—but we must choose to walk out. The Holy Spirit comes to give us the strength to take that step into freedom. The freedom to forgive. The freedom to see how valuable and loved we truly are. It doesn’t matter if we are “good enough”—God loves us as we are. He knows we have our struggles. I like to say, respectfully and with humor, that we are sometimes God’s “high-maintenance children.” Yet He loves us just the same! So now that we have heard the news of the Resurrection—what do we do? Peter and John ran to the tomb. They left the place where they were and sought Christ. We are invited to do the same. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been coming to church regularly, or if this is your first time here in a while—the invitation is for everyone . This Jubilee Year is a special time of grace. Come out of fear and into the freedom of the Risen Christ! Encounter Him in the many opportunities offered in our parish: Daily Mass (Monday to Saturday at 7:30 AM), Adoration (6:30–7:30 AM and 6–7 PM), Confessions (6–7 PM), Jubilee Talks every Wednesday (7–8 PM), Tuesdays in Spanish, Thursdays in Portuguese Upcoming retreats: Unbound in English (May 24), Brazilian retreat (May 24–25), Spanish couples retreat (June 1), Join one of our many ministries—Cenacle, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Neocatechumenal Way, Bible Study, Friends of Faith, Bereavement Ministry—or serve at Mass as a catechist, lector, singer, or Eucharistic minister. Maybe the wait is over. The Risen Christ is already here, waiting to encounter you . He will free you. He will give you new life. Come and see! God Bless, Fr. Steven 

From Father Steven - April 13, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • April 11, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Not long ago, we sang with joy, “O Come, Let Us Adore Him.” . Though this beloved hymn celebrates the response of the shepherds to the birth of the Savior, it echoes once again this Palm Sunday. Today, we are also invited to come and adore Him —this time as He enters Jerusalem, not as an infant, but as the suffering King. The child born in Bethlehem came with a mission: to give His life for the salvation of humanity. From the very beginning, the Nativity foreshadowed the Passion. In traditional Greek icons of the Nativity, Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes—foreshadowing the burial linens He will later wear. He is born in a cave-like stable, reminiscent of the tomb in which He will be laid. In Jesus’ time, the dead were placed in stone-cut tombs, not buried underground. The Gospel notes that the tomb of Nicodemus “had not yet been used,” emphasizing its sacred role in God’s plan. Even the reactions to Jesus’ birth and His triumphant entry into Jerusalem are strikingly similar. When Herod heard of the newborn King, he was "greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" (Mt 2:3). Centuries later, as Jesus enters Jerusalem amid palm branches and acclamations, the entire city is once again shaken—stirred by the arrival of a King who does not come with power and might, but with humility and love. This is no coincidence. Everything in salvation history unfolds according to God's perfect plan. It prompts us to reflect: What is the image we hold of Christ as King? Do we see Him as the one who should take away our sufferings, fix our problems, and restore order to the world? While Christ certainly brings healing and hope, He often does so in ways we do not expect. He is not a King who comes to conquer with force, but one who walks alongside us—through our struggles, pain, and even death—inviting us to place our full trust in God. To grasp the depth of God’s love, consider the image of a parent keeping vigil by their sick child, or a spouse caring tenderly for their beloved in illness or death. These acts of love go beyond obligation—they are a gift of self. In the same way, Christ enters Jerusalem not with glory as the world defines it, but with compassion —literally, "to suffer with." He doesn’t remove suffering from our lives, but instead enters into it with us. Emmanuel— God is with us —even in our darkest hours. We are not alone. Christ calls us to accompany others in their pain, to bring His presence to those who are suffering, and to love as He loves. Only love has the power to conquer sin and death. Palm Sunday’s liturgy begins with celebration—the waving of palms, the joyful acclamation of Christ the King. But it moves swiftly into the solemn reading of His Passion. This contrast invites us to welcome the King who comes not to reign from a throne, but from the Cross. He comes to suffer with us, to carry our sins, and to free us—not from Roman oppression, as many in His time expected—but from the grip of sin and death itself. So, dear friends, let us enter this Holy Week with faith, love, and hope. It is easy to go through the motions, to let these sacred days pass by. But Christ desires to live this time with us and in us . As St. Paul reminds us, “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Rom 6:8). Let us then walk this path with Christ—through the Cross, into the joy of the Resurrection. May this Holy Week transform us, renew us, and prepare our hearts to truly celebrate the miracle of Easter.  God Bless, Fr. Steven
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